Department for Communities and Local Government

Environmental Health

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment have they made of the adequacy of the powers of environmental health officers.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The Government is satisfied that current legislation provides local authorities with the necessary powers to enforce the provisions of food law and local environment regulations.

Communities and Local Government: Reviews

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many reviews have been announced in Parliament by the Department for Communities and Local Government in the last six years; how many have been completed; how many are still ongoing; and what is the timescale for completion of those reviews still ongoing.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: There is no formal definition of “reviews”. We regularly review our policies, programmes, and projects to ensure that they meet their intended objectives. Important announcements are made to Parliament by way of ministerial statements, replies to parliamentary questions, or in debate contributions by Ministers.The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Suicide

Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many female prisoners have been placed on 24-hour watch on at least one occasion in each women’s prison in each of the last 12 months.

Lord Keen of Elie: Information about the use of constant supervision in prisons is not centrally collected.All prisons are required to have procedures in place to identify, manage and support people who are at risk of harm to themselves. These include the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process, which is a prisoner-centred, flexible care planning system for those identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm.A prisoner will be placed under constant supervision where that is determined to be necessary to address an immediate suicidal crisis. Such supervision will be one of a number of supportive measures put in place to manage the risk and will remain in place only for so long as is strictly necessary.